Budgeting app comparison
Obsidian Tracker vs YNAB
YNAB is a paid budgeting app with direct bank import for select regions and real-time sync across devices. Tracker is a free CSV-based tracker with per-platform returns and a fee view. If you want automatic, synced budgeting, YNAB is the closer match; Tracker suits people who track investments across platforms from statements.
Sources read and prices checked 2026-10-10.
Obsidian Metrics makes Tephra and Tracker, the two products this page compares against others. This page is written by the maker of one of the products compared, so read the competitor columns against their own pages, linked below each table. Competitor facts come only from the vendor pages listed under Sources, read on the date shown above; vendors change plans and prices without notice. We are not affiliated with any company named here, and all product names belong to their owners.
Tracker and YNAB side by side
| Feature | Tracker | YNAB |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A personal money tracker for income, expenses, investments, withdrawals and fees, with a dashboard, per-platform annualized return (IRR) computed from the data you import, fee analysis, a bills planner and a printable Monthly Report. | A budgeting app built around giving every dollar a job, with goal targets, debt management with an integrated loan calculator, and transaction import. [1] |
| Price | Free for signed-in members. The printable Monthly Report is included with Premium, the same membership that includes Tephra ($19 a month in the Skool community, $29 a month direct), or costs $5 once. | $14.99 a month, or $109 a year (plus tax). [1] |
| Free trial | No trial needed for the free tier. An account is required. | 34 days, no credit card required when signing up directly. [1] |
| Connecting your accounts | None. Import statements as CSV (32 presets covering banks, brokerages, crypto exchanges and platforms such as Fundrise and TreasuryDirect) or enter by hand. No bank linking, and no OFX or QFX import. Premium members can add read-only Coinbase and Kraken balances. | Direct import for select US, Canadian, UK and EU banks, and file-based import for other regions. [1] |
| Phones and sync across devices | Your data is kept in one browser on one device. Cloud sync is built but is not working today, and the app's 'Synced to your account' label does not reflect that. Export a CSV to keep a backup. | Real-time account syncing across devices. [1] |
| Investments | Annualized IRR for all platforms together and for each platform, computed from the cash flows you import, plus a fees page with annualized fee projections. | Investment tracking is not among the features listed on the page we read. [1] |
| Budgeting approach | A bills planner built on take-home pay: must-pay and luxury bills, what is left, a savings-first setting and a weekly fun-money amount. No category budgets or rollover in the documented feature set. | The page describes the YNAB Method of giving every dollar a job, plus goal targets and debt tools. [1] |
| Sharing | No sharing feature is documented. | One subscription can be shared with up to 6 people. [1] |
Where YNAB is better
- YNAB. It connects to select banks directly, syncs across devices in real time, can be shared with up to 6 people and has a 34-day trial. Tracker has no bank connection and no working cross-device sync. [1]
Choose YNAB if: You want automatic bank import, real-time sync across devices and a shared plan for up to 6 people.
Where Tracker is better
- No subscription for the core tracker; the cost is a free account.
- Per-platform annualized IRR and an annualized fee view across banks, brokerages, crypto exchanges and niche platforms, from statements you import.
- 32 CSV presets with a column-mapping preview before anything is imported, including niche platforms such as Atlas Earth, GoMining, Fundrise and TreasuryDirect.
- Tracker has no bank linking, so there are no bank logins to share. Optional read-only Coinbase and Kraken balances for Premium members use exchange API keys.
Choose Tracker if: You want a no-subscription tracker for statements and investment platforms, with annualized return and fee views, and you are fine importing CSVs.
Where Tracker falls short
- Cloud sync across devices is not working today. Data lives in one browser, and clearing site data loses it unless you exported a CSV.
- The JSON account export does not include locally stored transactions; use the CSV export in Settings.
- CSV import only; no bank connection, OFX, QFX or XLSX.
- The Fees page shows its first-to-last month one month early; dollar totals are right.
- Tracker cannot be used signed out.
Frequently asked
How much does YNAB cost?
YNAB lists $14.99 a month or $109 a year plus tax, with a 34-day trial, as read on 2026-10-10.
Can Tracker replace YNAB?
For many people no. Tracker has no bank connection and no working cross-device sync, and does not describe a category budgeting method.
Does either one give financial advice?
This page does not. It compares software for education only.
More comparisons
Sources
Competitor facts come only from the pages below, accessed 2026-10-10.
- YNAB pricing: https://www.ynab.com/pricing (accessed 2026-10-10)